JPS Labs
Superconductor 2 Interconnects
Interconnect Cables

Product Description

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
RobertB
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: November 18, 2004

Bottom Line:

I had auditioned quite a few cables over the years when I settled for the Cardas Golden Cross interconnects.
Though these are good interconnects they still had me wanting. Beautiful warm and round sound, but lacking in detail so I guessed I couldn't have best of both worlds.
Then an audio dealer I know well handed me a pair of Superconductor2 interconnects, while warning me that I would take a bit of burning in. And they did!
Though they didn't sound awful, they couldn't beat the Cardas Golden Crosses either. But after a week they really blossomed to their full potential.
The same roundness, depth and warmth of the Golden Cross but with all the fine detail that was I missed before, it seems best of both worlds does exist after all.
It sailed through the blind test without a problem (I do this to every change in my system, if I can't pick the new addition blind it doesn't stay) and looks (or better: sounds) like this interconnect will be around in my system for a long, long time.

Having spent alot of time and money on upgrading my system, I always felt that it was somehow not perfroming as good as it should. It was my guess that it was proberly the interconnects to blame, as depending on what I used the high treble would to harsh, or slightly compressed in this region. At times this really got in the way of my musical listening pleasure.
I decided to try the superconductor 2, it took just under a month to really settle in. For the first time I am now feeling like I have the sound I want, that is natural and fully dynamic, with no harshness. It always seemed to me as soon as you open up the sound the treble would go all over the place, now the treble sounds just about right to these ears.
These are truly great cables, and a worthy investment if you want you system to dound at its best.

2 years were spent trying various interconnects and speaker cables. These were times of discovery, amusement, and frustration. After trying various levels of Kimber, Transparent, MIT, Van den Hul, Acoustic Zen, Nordost, and others, I decided to try out JPS Labs. My fist try was their original Superconductor series. I fell in love with the very even rendition from lows to highs. Everything was in its proper place with all of the detail portrayed even in very complex segments. The dynamics were stunning. The distant soundstage that Transparent presented was brought up closer and I finally became part of the music. Now, I listen to a lot of musical variety: blues, jazz, reggae, hard rock, old school heavy metal, SKA, classical, acoustic guitar, almost anything. JPS cables are the first cables that work great with everything I throw at them.
I saved up some scratch for starting the upgrade to Superconductor 2. I bought a pair of the speaker cables, jumpers, and an interconnect. At the time, I was running a Shanling CDT-100 directly into my Krell FPB600 and running B&W 801 Matrix 2 speakers. When I first heard the SC2s, I was blown away. Although the detail of the new cables was only about 15% better, the dynamics were scary. Hit play and out of the silence a snare drum can literally knock you out of your seat. The rise times of snares, cymbal hits, plucked strings, etc. are so fast and real that you are really there. 90 minutes and you walk away satisfied and drained from all of the emotion of what just happened. Other cables and you sit and search for things to notice in the music. The SC2s let you just relax and let the music come to you. The feeling of Regae or SKA basslines running up and down your spine had me sold on JPS Labs.
As long as your equipment is good enough to warrant the SC2 cables, try them. You will lose all the wander-lust of trying other brands again. These are going to be the last cables you buy. If you can't justify SC2 costs, then try a used set of the original SC or the new SCFX. I have tried them all, and any JPS cable is well worth it's price.

Short and to the point, I have worked my way up from the Ultraconductor, Superconductor, Super+ and now the Super2.

I have tried many ICs in between on many different systems, but seem to always return to the JPS. They are just correct.The gain from the + to the 2 is about 20%, and to me this is worth the extra cost.

I purchased (2) 1 METER PAIRS, AND (1).75 METER PAIR over the year 2000. I purchased pair one at a time. I used them CD direct to amp, then just preamp to amp. Then between CD to preamp, and preamp to amp. System components, Wadia 860X, Presence Deluxe (tube) preamp, Blue Circle BC-6 amp (tube hybrid), Tandberg 3014 tape & 3001A tuner, Gensis 500 subwoofer (15"/500 watt) subwoofer,Merlin VSM speakers, LAT Int'l SS1000 speaker cables. I use a MusisCap in line in the amp, rather than a crossover the highs to the Merlins.

Awkward to manuever, you need some rome behind and around the equipment. I had NEAR 50ML's, a First Sound Passive Preamp (puer passive premap with stepped attenuators made by Presence Audio listing at $2600), and Forte 1a (parts upgraded amp) 50 watt class A amp. I decided to upgrade my system a component at a time last year. These cables were partially used with the older gear in progression. I had used many interconnects throughout the 1990's. I love the Magnan Vi midrange. This was reference midrange for an affordable interconnect in my budget. I thought the extenstions were a little limited. Soundstage was very good, not always the best. I evaluated and owned the cables above plus many less expensive ones over about 17 years. I started out with Monster Cable Interlinlk 400 back in the 1983. For many years (5 or so) I ran the Lat Int'l IC-200D ($190) pair througout my system, even my car. I choose them because they had a midrange similar to the Magnan Vi. The LAT had better extension, especially the highs, not by alot. The bass was just a bit deeper or tighter from what I remeber. The soundstage was slightly wider, I don't remember if it was deeper. At about $190/m pair new vs. about $375/m pair used and easy to manuever, I thought it was wisest to use the LAT. Magan Vi's are cumbersome like the JPS Labs, and LAT are easy enough to use them in my car (McIntosh/MB Quart system) end to end. The JPS Labs just opened up the midrange with so much more life like size, or type of detail over the LAT. It was like going from a 20" to 32" wide screen TV in the mids. The soundstage improved, but not in the same proportion. I had to think about spending about $375/m pair used vs. getting about $85/m pr used on the LAT old cables. I ended up using my LAT in other systems(girlfirend and nephew).

My point is that I could justify this expense with the caliper of equipment I currently own. At $700/m pr, I probably would not have upgraded the cable on my tuner, due to the lack of extensions and varying station source quality. At a used price the warm and open midrange detail was worth it. I listen to mostly jazz, then pop rock (Clapton, Lovett, Santana, ect.), and some classical music. The only drawback I found in my system is that the highs sound a little soft on many CD's, but on the right ones the extension is there and just right. I am not sure if that is a Wadia unforgiving reality function, or soemthing with the tubes or tube equipment that I use. I play many audiophile CD's (MFSL, Mapleshade, XRCD, etc.) I heard the Wadia 860X in a demo with Krell (SS) amd some expensive mini monitors, then BAT (tube) with some $9000/pr speakers using the Transparent Audio interconnect and speaker cable. I agree with other reviews, that you need to spend much more on Transparent list price vs. JPS Labs list price, to get similar sound. The main point I want to emphasize is that if your assocaited equipment justifies the interconnect cost, the JPS are well worth it. You can see by the views the less expensive little brother has many more reviews, and is probably used in more affordable (than my system) but still great sounding systems.